You Mentioned Her Name
by angellwings
Summary: It was a canvas full of what looked like bloody hand prints. They looked feminine in size and shape and had small black numbers written in the palms. The numbers went all the way up to 25. The supposed “paint” looked far too convincing as blood.
1. Prologue: Dead End Journey

_**Before You Read:** This is set during, before, and after the episode "Stalker" and centers around Melissa who the victim was posed to resemble, who sent Nick the pictures, and was his senior prom date. I have made one change to the episode. **Nick says, "She lives in 'Bosnia'-Maine or somewhere, she has three kids, whats she gonna do fly in for murder?" Melissa does live in Maine, but does not have three kids. **BTW if you're wondering I have posted this before, but I took it down. Now I have revamped it, and fixed a few errors. Enjoy! Don't forget to read and review!_

You Mentioned Her Name

Prologue: Dead End Journey

by angellwings

Melissa sighed as she packed up boxes. She was moving out, and not just moving out; she was divorcing the jackass as well. She had been stupid enough to marry him straight out of college. She was beginning to wonder if she ever really loved him or if she was just trying to please her mother by marrying a future defense attorney . . . instead of Nick.

The two of them had grown up together. Their fathers were best friends from childhood, and now served side by side on the Texas Supreme Court. She and Nick had been friends all through high school up until Senior Prom. He'd proposed to her a couple of times while they had dated in college, and each time she'd told him that she wasn't quite ready for marriage. After all, they had only been college sophomores at the time.

Well, that's what her mother had told her.

And not long after his second proposal they'd broken up.

He'd said that they weren't moving forward, and he was afraid if they stayed together any longer that their friendship might be ruined. That was the last thing in the world either of them had wanted.

So when junior year rolled around she began dating Jeremy Lambert. He was pre-law, and had the grades and determination to get into Harvard.

"He has a bright future ahead of him.", her mother had told her the summer before senior year.

At the various neighborhood parties that lasted through out the summer her mother would brag to her country club friends about her daughter's pre-law boyfriend and what a "smart match" Melissa had made. Really, she'd used the phrase "smart match". She had been under the impression that language like that died with Jane Austen.

Senior year flew by and her and Nick miraculously managed to stay friends. Which by the way, Jeremy had seemed okay with at first. And she had been as surprised as anyone when Jeremy proposed to her at her and Nick's graduation barbecue.

But, being the idiot she was, she'd been convinced (by her mother) that Jeremy was the perfect guy for her and had said yes. Which brought her back here. To the present. It seemed as if Jeremy wanted nothing to do with her anymore. It seems that after five years of trying Melissa couldn't have children which meant no Lambert family heir for her soon to be ex-husband.

Which meant he has no use for her.

_Jackass._

In what they had worked out for the settlement so far, he'd gotten the house in Maine, and she'd gotten the Vegas vacation condo. That should have tipped her off right there.

The guy wanted a vacation home in Las Vegas.

And while he was away on a case she was packing and having all of her belongings shipped to the Vegas condo. Which meant she had to clean out the attic. She sighed and reached for another box. She couldn't help but smile as she came across a sparkly, feathery, sequined pink photo album with the word "PROM" pasted across it in big, white, block letters. She anxiously flipped through it, and glanced at the pictures. She chuckled to herself and ran downstairs to her PC and scanner.

Nick _had_ to see the photos, _he would die._


	2. Adventure

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter One: Adventure

by angellwings

She stood in the entrance hallway watching as the movers carried out her furniture and boxes. It was the next day and she was leaving on her flight to Texas that afternoon. She was going to stay with her parents until the divorce was final, and from there she was driving her old car to Las Vegas. She sighed and grabbed her purse and cell phone then ran into the living room and grabbed her one rolling suitcase. She was taking Jeremy's SUV to the airport and parking it in the long-term lot where he would pick it up when he got back. Just as she reached the door the house phone rang, and she ran to answer it. Hoping it was her father calling to wish her a safe flight or give her some advice or comfort on her shitty situation.

But to her surprise it was Nick.

"Mel?" He asked after she had said hello.

"Nick?" She asked in shock.

"Yeah, listen, why did you send me those pictures?"

"Why?" She asked with a furrowed brow, "I found them while I was cleaning out the attic, and I thought you would get a kick out of them, that's why. What's going on?"

"Nothing really, are you still in Maine?" He asked.

She hesitated before answering. She hadn't told Nick about the divorce; she hadn't told anyone other than her parents, "Yeah . . . yeah, I'm still in Maine."

"You haven't left in the past couple of days?" He asked her again.

"No, I've been here. What's going on, Nick? Why are you asking me all of these questions?" She asked him with a little bit of irritated edge. He was acting like sending him those pictures was some sort of federal offense.

"I just . . . there was . . ." He sighed as if he didn't know what to tell her, "There was this thing at a crime scene that reminded me of those pictures, and I just had to find out for sure about some things. I'll talk to you later . . . I have to head to work."

She furrowed her brow again, this didn't make sense, "Yeah . . . okay, bye."

He hung up almost immediately after she spoke.

_What the hell was that about? _She thought as she hung up and headed out the door. She locked the door and loaded up the SUV with her one bag. She stood beside the SUV and stared back at her home of eight years. She was leaving. She was starting over.

In Las Vegas, of all places.

It was going to be a long day. She had to stop off in Greensboro, North Carolina and then catch a flight to Houston. So that meant her day would be spent inside an airport solving a People Magazine crossword puzzle or playing "Snake" on her cell phone.

_What an adventure. _She thought sarcastically.

* * *

_This chapter isn't that long, but don't worry they'll get longer as the stories goes on. Read and Review!!_

_angellwings_


	3. Little Red

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter 2: Little Red

by: angellwings

The flight had been horrible. It was majorly delayed. She had been scheduled to be in North Carolina by 4:00 P.M. And upon her arrival it was 9:00 P.M. She was currently bored out of her mind. She marched through the Greensboro airport to her gate, and stopped at the airport's café for dinner. She went by the gift shop and bought all her favorite magazines (People, Us Weekly, and Vogue), a small sketch pad, and a pack of mechanical pencils. She yawned and sat down by the gate.

She pulled out the sketch pad, and one of her new pencils and began to draw. She was an artist, always had been. She'd been president of the Mural and Art clubs in high school, and majored in Art and minored in marketing in college. Her mother didn't approve of her degree, and never had, but because she had been dating a Jeremy her mother hadn't raised that much of a fuss. She'd gotten a job managing an art gallery on the Vegas strip. The Winfield Gallery. She'd had an internship there the summer between freshman year and sophomore year of college, and after she and Jeremy had launched the first of their divorce hearings she had called the owner, Scott Winfield, about a job. He had given her one without hesitation.

It was 7:00 P.M. in Texas right now which meant it was 4:00 P.M. in Vegas. She thought about checking in with her dad, but decided she had a couple of hours and could do that later. She went back to her sketching and thought about that strange phone call she had gotten from Nick earlier. He'd said there was something at a crime scene that had reminded him of their prom pictures. She was dying to know what that had been.

Her cell phone rang from the empty seat beside of her. She didn't bother looking to see who it was. She figured it was her father calling to ask how the flight was.

"Hello?" She asked in a disinterested tone.

There was no response just heavy breathing.

"Hello?" She asked again just in case they didn't hear her.

"Is this Melissa?" The voice asked with an anxious edge.

"Who is this?" She asked when she didn't recognize the voice.

"Is this Nick's red head?"

Her eyes went wide, this was creepy, "Who the hell is this?"

"He still loves you, 'Little Red'. He talks about you in his sleep." The voice said again.

"How did you get this number? What do you want?" She asked as the fear crept into her voice. Little Red was Nick's nickname for her. No one else called her that. Only Nick.

This guy sounded psychotic.

The line suddenly went dead. Some time during the phone call she had dropped the pad and pencil, and now her hands were shaking violently. Did this have something to do with Nick's call? What the hell was happening in Vegas?

She gulped and pressed the "end call" button on her cell phone. Something was very wrong, and she just _knew_ Nick was in danger.

She dialed her father's cell number as quickly as possible. She would have called Nick, but she didn't have his number.

"Hey, sweetie, how was your flight?" Her father greeted her pleasantly.

"Daddy, Nick's in trouble." She said as she stood up and walked over to the television set hanging in the lobby area.

"What do you mean, honey? What's happened?" Her father asked urgently.

"I got a call from some psycho. I didn't recognize the number, but he asked me if I was 'Nick's red head'. He called me Little Red, daddy. Little Red." She said frantically as she noticed the news channel for the first time.

The female news anchor was talking about a murder in Vegas.

"A young woman was found murdered in her Las Vegas home last night. Her body was posed over her toilet and the assailant had dyed his victim's hair a dark shade of red. Authorities now believe the young woman was being stalked . . ."

That was all she heard before she dropped her cell phone.

Posed over a toilet . . . hair dyed red.

That was the scene Nick had been talking about, that was why he had called her this morning.

The killer had used the picture of her passed out over the toilet on prom night. He'd modeled the dead girl's body after her. A violent shiver ran down her spine, as she slowly picked up her cell phone off the floor.

"Melissa, sweetheart, are you there?" She head her father yelling into the phone.

"Dad, call the Las Vegas crime lab, now." She said in a panicky, high pitched voice.

"Melissa, calm down. Tell me what's going on." Her father said slowly and soothingly.

She took a deep breath, and began to recap the events of the day for her father. He'd know how to handle this. He'd know what to do.

_Nick, please be safe_. She prayed as she spoke.

* * *

_What do you think? Does it sound interesting to you guys? Review and tell me, please!_

_angellwings_


	4. Welcome Wagon

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter 3: Welcome Wagon

by angellwings

She sat on the plane and glared at her cell phone. Waiting-no, begging for it to ring. There were mere moments until take off. Just seconds until she would be cut off from all news until she arrived in Texas. She'd spoken with her father before loading the plane, and he said LVPD had been giving him the run around and that some guy at the crime lab named Ecklie had been doing the same thing. He didn't think they believed him.

Honestly, who would make up something like this?

There was a psycho after Nick.

And she was scared for him.

Why couldn't people understand that?

She may not have spoken to him a lot over the last eight years, but she was going crazy with helplessness. Her thoughts were interrupted by the announcement to turn off all electronic devices. Damn, This flight was going to be torture. She sighed as her leg bobbed up and down and she turned off her cell phone.

She was going to go insane. She just knew it.

* * *

She anxiously looked out the plane window as they approached the tarmac. She wanted off. She wanted to call her dad and find out what the heck was happening. As she stepped off the plane it was almost 2:00 A.M., but she wasn't feeling the least bit tired. She finally found her cell phone in her bag and fumbled while she turned it back on. She ran through the gate and dialed her father's number all the while.

"I just got a hold of Nick's shift's lead detective," He answered with out salutation, "He got a call from the CSI shift supervisor just seconds after I told him what happened. Their on their way to his house right now."

"Thank God!" She exclaimed as she passed the metal detectors outside the gates and caught sight of her sister and her old high school friend, "Daddy, call me when the detective calls you back."

"Sure thing, sweetheart." He said as they both hung up.

"Am I glad to see you guys!" She said as she approached her sister, Tabitha, and her best friend, Lisa.

"Dad said we had to come pick you up, that he couldn't get away due to some kind of emergency. What's up?" Her strawberry blond, younger sister asked .

She looked back and fourth between the two women, "Some stalker is after Nick."

"What?" Lisa asked in shock as her tanned brow creased.

"This guy called my cell earlier. He knew who I was, he referred to me by the nickname Nick gave me, and said that he talks about me in his sleep. But he wouldn't give me his name." She told them with a shaky breath.

"Oh. My. God." Lisa said as she ran a hand through her black hair.

"I know and the worst part was the crime lab, and PD were giving daddy the run around." Melissa said through a clenched jaw.

Tabitha furrowed her brow in confusion, "PD I can understand, I mean they're not particularly fond of CSI's, but the lab should have put you right through to the shift supervisor."

She shrugged at her sister's words. Her sister worked in the Houston crime lab, so she would know all about protocol, "Dad said he kept getting some guy named Ecklie."

"Oooooh, Nick's told me about him. The guy's an ass, he hates Nick's shift." Tabitha said with a nod and a growl.

"So, did he ever get a hold of any one?" Lisa asked in persistent worry. Lisa and her husband, Derek, had been the other half of her and Nick's senior prom group. They had all gone to school together their whole lives.

"He just got a hold of the lead detective as I got off the plane." Melissa said as she ushered the girls to baggage claim.

"Oh. My. God." Lisa said again as they got on the escalator.

"I know, and as soon as that detective calls daddy back, I'm getting Nick's number and calling him." She said in determination.

Despite the current situation and topic of conversation, Tabitha couldn't help but laugh at her older sister and her best friend, "You guys do that a lot."

"Do what?" Melissa asked in confusion.

"The whole 'Oh. My. God.' 'I know' thing." She informed them with a grin.

"We've done it since middle school," Lisa said with a faint smile, "Just can't kick the habit, I guess."

"Ah, middle school. The good old days." Melissa said with a wink and a smile in Tabitha's direction.

"Speak for yourself, I hated middle school. Every one kept comparing me to you. 'You're sister was such a well behaved student', 'Tabitha why can't you just sit quietly, I never had this much trouble from your sister'. You were a thorn in my ass until high school rolled around." Tabitha said in a good natured jest as she stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Melissa chuckled and rolled her eyes. It was amazing her and her sister were as close as they were. They were polar opposites, "I think you mean 'thorn in my side'."

"No, no, trust me it was the ass."

Lisa cleared her throat, and spoke up tentatively, "I hate to interrupt this love fest, but . . . does Nick know? About the divorce I mean."

"Well, for starters how do you guys know?" She asked them with a shocked expression.

"Come on, Mel, you told me about the tests six months ago, and now suddenly you're headed home . . . alone." Tabitha said with a sigh.

"We put two and two together." Lisa said as she squeezed her friend's shoulder.

Melissa body tensed at the look of pity Lisa had just given her, and marched off the escalator with out another word, "I don't need nor want any one's pity, Lisa."

"I told you to be careful about how you throw around those sympathetic gestures of yours." Tabitha said with an "I told you so" glare in Lisa direction.

"Mel, that's not what I meant. Pity was not what I was trying to convey back there." Lisa said as she ignored Tabitha and quickly went after her friend.

"Well, whatever it was . . . I don't like it. I'm not that fragile, Lis," Mel said as she turned to face the two women, "I'm not about to shatter into a thousand pieces, so don't treat me like I am."

"Does he know?" Lisa asked again with a pointed glance.

"No," Mel said as her shoulder's sagged and she let out an exasperated breath, "But I'm gonna have to tell him now."

"You didn't tell him?" Tabitha asked in a stunned voice.

"I didn't even tell you guys! What makes you think I would tell him?" She asked as she focused on the conveyor belts that would be bringing her suit case around in a minute.

"Well, it's just that you and Nick have always been so close. I mean even if the two of you haven't really spoken in forever you can't deny the fact that the guy is your closest friend. Closer than me, even." Lisa told her with a light playful shove to her friend's petite shoulders.

She sighed and spoke softly, "I didn't want to tell him why."

"Missa, Nick is not going to care. He's just going to want to make sure you're all right, you know that." Tabitha said as she used her old childhood nick name for her sister.

"But my stupid, 'inhospitable' uterus has already cost me one relationship. I didn't want it to cost me another. Especially not with Nick. Lord knows, Jeremy had already tried to put a permanent wedge between us." Melissa said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, Jeremy is a bastard." Lisa said bluntly.

Melissa's eyes went wide, and she began to laugh. She had no idea why, but hearing her best friend call her husband a bastard was just good entertainment at the moment, "I'm sorry, it's just the first time I've heard any one refer to him like that out loud."

"I've always thought that, and now that you're divorcing the prick I can say it out loud." Lisa said as a smile crossed her face.

Melissa stopped laughing then, "You've always felt that way?"

"Yeah, but you seemed so in love with the guy that I figured I had to deal." Lisa said with a nod.

Melissa turned to her sister, "And what about you?"

"Hated the guy's guts the minute you started dating him. 'Course that could be due to the fact that he's not Nick." Tabitha said as she nodded to herself.

"Well, I wish some one would have told me this. Preferably right after he proposed to me." Melissa grumbled as she pulled her suitcase off the belt, "It would have saved me a lot of trouble."

"By the way, dad says you're staying with me tonight, and that I'm supposed to take you to the house tomorrow morning." Tabitha said as she helped her sister stand the case upright, "Dad's having a welcome home barbecue for you as well."

"Please tell me you're joking." Melissa stated as she squeezed her eye lids shut and grimaced.

"Nope, Derek and I called in our RSVP two weeks ago." Lisa stated.

"Great, a party to celebrate the wreckage my life has become. Whose idea was that? Mom's?" She asked as she shook her head.

"You know it, big sister." Tabitha said with a chuckle as they lead Melissa and the luggage to Lisa's Jeep Liberty.

"I swear, I will not be responsible if I end up ripping that woman a new one." Melissa said through gritted teeth.

"You know I never understood that saying." Lisa stated thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I know, I mean a new what, exactly?" Tabitha asked as she loaded the suitcase into the back of the Liberty, "By the way, how did I get stuck with all the grunt work?"

"So young, so naive." Melissa stated as she feigned superiority over her little sister, and hopped in the passenger side.

* * *

_That's all for chapter three! I hope you all enjoyed it! Read and Review!_

_By the way Lisa is in the prom pictures that were shown in "Stalker". I just thought it would be fun to throw her into the mix._

_angellwings_


	5. Sparky

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter 4: Sparky

by angellwings

Nick had called her last night. Right after Lisa dropped her and Tabitha off, and they had gotten ready for a long sleep, her cell phone had gone off.

And they had talked for hours. He told her everything that happened through a scratchy and strained voice which she knew came from Nick's free flowing emotions. He was never one to hide anything. His whole family was like that. The Stokes' family always wore their hearts on their sleeves.

And she had told him everything about her and Jeremy.

He had been hurt at being left out of the loop at first, but once the reason was out in the air everything else was forgotten. He had gone through a string of names that were less than flattering, all of which were about Jeremy. And then almost immediately she had been reminded of why she had fallen in love with Nick in the first place.

Despite everything he had been through that night he couldn't stop making sure that she was okay. He was even coming to the barbecue today, and bringing a buddy from his lab. Why in the world did she ever let him get away?

And now she was actually excited about this party.

She hadn't seen Nick since she and Jeremy had moved to Maine, and right now she had a feeling the two of them needed each other.

When she had talked to Nick last night he had actually been on his way to Texas. His oldest sister, Marsha, had picked him up upon the request of his own set of overbearing parents. He was going to be here before the end of the party.

Her rotten sister had woken her up entirely too early. It wasn't even 7 in the morning yet, and here she was pushing herself off the couch and heading to the shower.

As she headed to the bathroom her sister came out of her bedroom, and Melissa glared at her.

"Don't even complain, I usually don't GET to go to sleep until now." Tabitha told her as she rolled her eyes.

"Fine," Melissa grumbled as she slammed the bathroom door shut.

Tabitha chuckled and headed to the kitchen to fix a quick breakfast for the two of them. She had really missed her older sister. Jeremy had practically shut the girl off from everyone. Sure, they got phone calls almost every week, but it wasn't the same as seeing her in person. The two of them had had their differences when they were younger, but once Tabitha hit eighth grade her sister became one of her best friends. They had different tastes in everything. Hobbies, music, TV shows, movies, food, men. You name it and they more than likely disagreed. But they knew each other and how to comfort the other, and most importantly they understood why each was the way they were.

Tabitha switched on her CD player, and was immediately greeted by her new Lillix CD. She bobbed her head to the music as she began to beat the eggs. Both of the girls had been raised in a strictly scrambled eggs household. It was the only way either of them would eat eggs, and Melissa always had to have bacon.

There was a knock at the apartment door.

"Come in!" Tabitha called from the kitchen. Lisa had called earlier and said she, Derek, and the kids were on their way.

"Any one home?" A familiar voice called.

Tabitha's eyes grew wide, "Nick?"

She jogged into the living room with frying pan and spatula in hand, "Mel said you wouldn't even be in Texas until the end of the barbecue?"

Nick shrugged, and grinned at the petite strawberry blond woman, "I lied."

Tabitha rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Of course you did."

"Thought I'd surprise my two favorite girls."

"Yeah, I'm sure." She said as she walked back into the kitchen, "Well, Missa's in the shower at the moment. Hey, I thought she said you were bringing a buddy from the Vegas lab."

"Yeah, he's on his way up." Nick said as he peeked back out side the door for Warrick.

He nodded to him as he came into view in the hallway. Nick shut the door after Warrick entered the apartment, "Come on, man, I want to introduce you to the Anders girls."

He chuckled, "You make them sound so intimidating."

He grinned at Warrick, "You don't know the half of it."

The two of them made their way into the kitchen, and Tabitha turned to greet them.

"Who's your buddy, Cowboy?" Tabitha asked with a grin.

He shot Tabitha a mock glare at the nick name, and rolled his eyes, "Warrick Brown this is Tabitha Anders; Tabitha this is Warrick, he's a fellow CSI."

She turned off the burner under the eggs, and quickly flipped the bacon then turned to face Warrick.

"Any friend of Nick's is a friend of mine." She said as she shook his hand.

"Ditto" Warrick said with a nod and a grin.

"Tabs!" Melissa yelled through the bathroom door, "Can you hand me a towel? I forgot one, and I'm kind of dripping here."

Nick froze for a split second at the sound of Melissa's muffled voice coming from the bathroom.

"Yeah, sure! Hold on a minute!" Tabitha said as she moved to make her way to the hall linen closet. Nick grabbed her elbow and stopped her with an evil glint in his eye.

"Wait, let me."

Tabitha eyed him skeptically before answering slowly, "Okay. Linen closet is at the end of the hall on the right."

He nodded and quickly walked down the hall to get a towel. Then came back to knock on the bathroom door. Melissa stuck her head out the door immediately.

"Thanks, I can't believe that I spaced . . ." She said as her voice trailed off when she finally looked up to spot Nick. Her eyes went wide and she quickly grabbed the towel out of his hand, "Nick!"

He grinned and winked at her, "Long time no see, Little Red."

She paled suddenly, gulped, looked away, and spoke quietly, "I'll be out in a minute."

She shut the door gently, and left Nick extremely concerned. He walked back into the kitchen with a baffled look on his face, and glanced up worriedly at Tabitha, "What's goin' on?"

"That's probably what he called her." Tabitha said in a hoarse, loud whisper.

Nick closed his eyes and shook his head, "I should of known that he . . ."

Warrick sighed and patted Nick on the shoulder, "Nah, man, you're not psychic."

Tabitha gave Nick a weak smile, "She'll be fine. You probably just freaked her out a little, that's all."

The bathroom door opened and Melissa stepped out in faded, blue jeans and a pale, yellow, cotton, halter top with her hair wrapped in the towel Nick handed her. She glanced at Nick apologetically.

"Nick, I'm sorry, it's just that . . ."

He approached her quickly and immediately swallowed her shoulders in a tight hug. She was shocked at first, but easily sunk into the comfort of it.

"I didn't mean to startle you . . ." He whispered.

She smiled softly, "Listen to you, you're the one who almost dies, and you're worried about _me_. You are too much of a gentleman, Nicky."

He released her from the hug, but kept his hands on her upper arms, "I always worry about you, Mel, and it has nothing to do with being a gentleman."

She nodded and pulled him in for another hug, "I am so glad that you're safe, Sparky."

He chuckled, "You haven't called me Sparky since the end of Sophomore year."

"Yeah," She said as she pulled away to look at him, "and I missed it."

He smiled, nodded, and took a relaxing breath, "C'mon I want to introduce you to a buddy of mine."

She nodded and they turned to face Tabitha and Warrick in the kitchen.

"Warrick Brown," Nick said as he motioned between Warrick and Melissa, "Meet Melissa Anders."

Warrick smiled, "It's nice to finally meet you. Nick's told me a lot about you."

She eyed Nick warily as she shook Warrick's hand, "All good I hope?"

"No, but I wouldn't like you if it was." He said with a chuckle.

She laughed and nodded, "So, I take it he told you about our mischievous elementary school escapades, huh?"

"A little more than I wanted to know, but at least I know you have a sense of humor." Warrick said with a wide grin.

"Yeah, well, you suffer enough back fire from your own diabolical schemes you're sort of forced to develop a sense of humor. Especially when you work with klutzoid over here." Melissa said as she threw a thumb back in Nick's direction.

"I am not a klutz." Nick said defiantly.

"Oh please, You and Missa tried to get the drop on me twice. The first time you fell out of a tree and the second time you tripped over your own trap." Tabitha said as she tried to suppress a laugh.

"If it wasn't for me this guy would have more broken bones than healthy ones." Melissa said haughtily.

"Please, _that_ is definitely _not_ true." Nick said with a playful glare in Melissa's direction, "_You're _the reason I broke as many bones as I did."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Sparky." Melissa said as took the towel out of her hair and patted it with the towel.

Nick looked to Warrick once he realized he was laughing softly, "You don't honestly believe these two, do you?"

"I don't know . . . they sound pretty convincing to me." He told Nick with an accusatory glare.

"What? Come on, man. I told you these girls were devious. You can't believe anything they say about me." Nick told him adamantly.

"You don't have to believe us, Warrick. Our parents will tell you all you need to know." Melissa said with an amused smile.

Nick sighed sarcastically, "You're ganging up on me, that's not fair."

"You bring a friend home with you and what do you expect? Stories about your heroism?" Tabitha asked with a grin and an arched eyebrow, "Embarrassment is much more fun, you know that."

* * *

_That's all for now! Enjoy! Don't forget to read and review, please._

_angellwings_


	6. History

_Author's Note: It has been brought to my attention that I forgot about Nick's injuries, and I will admit I completely forgot about them. I have watched the episode constantly to try to avoid an error like that one, and yet (me being me) it still happened. His ribs and his wrist were injured and he had cuts and scrapes on his face which I did not write into the story in the last chapter. It wouldn't have hindered that much of his movements that I wrote in the last chapter I don't think. He was able to move pretty well at the end of the episode, he was stiff in his movements, but capable. But seeing as how I haven't had them leave the apartment yet I believe that I can fix my error . . . Stay tuned!_

_And thanks for all the reviews!_

_angellwings_

* * *

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter 5: History

by angellwings

Melissa sighed and observed Nick for a while. With all of the excitement and _emotion_ that went on earlier she had neglected to notice his injuries. She had stepped back from the group as they chatted in the kitchen. Her sister continued to cook the bacon. She was poking and prodding it distractedly as Warrick and Nick told stories about previous cases that they had closed. Tabitha loved Nick's stories, and, after all, Nick was a pretty good story teller. She suspected he had learned the tricks of the trade from his grandmother. She used to tell them a different ghost story every Halloween when they were younger, and every year she would frighten them nearly to death.

She tilted her head to the side and squinted at Nick's wrist. He was wearing a brace. Had that happened when the creep had thrown him out the window or when he broke his ceiling? His upper body was stiff. He'd broken a couple of ribs she knew. He had two cuts on his face. Well, one cut and one gash. The cut was on his cheek just below the bone, and the gash was over his left eyebrow. He had been through hell. She just knew it. He'd told her everything, but left out the minor details. Which she was thankful for.

But one good thing had come out of this. She had gotten him back. It had forced her to see him again. Forced her to face their history. She loved Nick. Seeing him again only made her more certain of that. Which confused her to no end. Why had she married Jeremy? Was it really just because of her mother? If she had been in love with Nick all along why had she agreed to marry Jeremy? Nothing made sense inside of her head any more.

When Nick had called her Little Red earlier she had freaked. For a split second she had heard the stalker's voice replaying in her head, and she had gone back to that moment where she had thought she was going to lose Nick. Forever. That's what had terrified her. Not the memory of her nick name coming off of that sicko's lips, but the feeling it had caused. The unparalleled terror. Such that she had never felt before. She hadn't actually _seen_ Nick in seven and a half years, and yet a part of her was anchored by the mere knowledge of his existence in the world. What did that mean?

She was so confused. Was it rebound infatuation or long forgotten true love?

"Missa? Missa!" She heard her sister yell as she noticed fingers being snapped in her face. She shook herself out of her current thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry, what?" She asked with a sigh.

"Breakfast is ready." She stated as she tossed Warrick and Nick concerned looks.

She smiled softly at her sister and sat down at the table in the space between the kitchen and the living room, "Sorry, I was just thinking."

Tabitha set the plates down on the table, and the four of them sat down (boy, girl, boy, girl), "About what?"

"The chaos of living like an adult." She told her sister with a half of a grin.

"Thought about that many times myself, tell my if you come up with any useful advice or theories." Warrick told her with a grin and a nod.

She chuckled, "Will do, Warrick."

They heard the door open behind them, and Nick turned around to greet the new comers.

"Good God, Stokes, you look like hell. What did you do? Fall out of another tree?"

Nick laughed, stood up, and "man hugged" the figure. Clasping and releasing with one hand while hugging with the wounded one. Although, never tell Nick it's an outright hug. He'll deny it like sin.

"Derek, my man, I gotta say . . . you don't look much better."

The dark skinned man laughed heartily, "You need to come home a little more often, man."

Nick nodded, "Yeah, I know, things just get so hectic-"

"Nick! Oh my God, what are you doing here?" Lisa exclaimed as she entered the apartment with one three year old girl on her hip, and two little boys being shoved along with her free hand.

"Uncle Nick! Uncle Nick!" The oldest boy yelled as he ran forward.

"Travis, hey kiddo, how ya doin'?" Nick said with his famous Stokes family dimples as he bent down to be eye level with the seven year old.

"Got a new remote controlled truck for my birthday! This one flips upside down, and moves on two wheels!" The kid exclaimed in excitement.

"Sounds awesome, man, did you bring it with you?" Melissa heard Nick ask as Derek turned her attention on her.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Houston's wayward daughter!" He exclaimed joyfully as he hugged her tight. She laughed loudly.

"Derek! When are you gonna leave Lisa and run away with me, huh?" She asked him playfully.

"You know I love you, Mel, but well . . . I just wouldn't be able to handle a woman such as yourself." He said with a good natured smile, and an exaggerated bow.

"Quit sucking up, man, you got yourself an amazing girl already." Nick said as he hugged Lisa and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Aw, aren't you just a little sweetheart." Lisa said sarcastically as she set her little girl down.

"Lisa, Derek, this is my friend from Las Vegas: Warrick Brown." Nick said as he introduced him.

Derek shook hands with him, "Nice to meet you, Warrick."

"Yeah, you too." Warrick said with a smile.

Lisa turned and smiled gently in Warrick's direction, "Welcome to Houston, Warrick."

He returned her smile and nodded.

"Well, hello there Terrific Tabitha." Derek said as he hugged her as well.

"Geez, Derek, you seem a little touchy feely this morning." Tabitha said with a grin, "Have you been drinking?"

Lisa laughed, "Yes, indeed he has."

"One sip of champagne won't affect my willingness to hug our old friends." He said as he stuck his tongue out at his wife.

"Although, it does seem to affect your maturity." She said with an amused smile.

"Champagne? Dude, it's 7 in the morning." Nick said with an unbelieving smile as he left Travis to play with his little brother.

"What can I say, I had a craving for it."

"Derek, my good friend, you are odd." Melissa said with a laugh and a pat on the arm as she turned to the shy little girl on her sister's couch.

"Hey, Celia. Do you know who I am? I've talked to you on the phone several times." She said as she sat down beside the girl.

She smiled shyly at the older woman and nodded.

Melissa chuckled, "It's nice to finally meet you."

Nick sat back down at the table and smiled as Melissa interacted with Celia. She was amazing. Why wouldn't some one, who loves kids so much, be able to have them? He didn't understand. And why would any sane man leave her? It only confirmed his suspicion that Jeremy was a selfish, coward. Melissa deserved better, as a matter of fact, Melissa deserved the _best_. When that picture of her had shown up in his e-mail, and he'd matched it to the crime scene, he'd originally thought some one was after her. But when Mel said she was still in Maine he had dismissed it. And then Crane had brought her up at his house. He was scared for her despite his sane notion that he was the one in danger.

Then he'd found out the Mel had been on her way _out_ of Maine. Which had pissed him off simply because if Crane had been after her he wouldn't have known where she was to try and protect her. He'd been hurt even more by the fact that she had kept the divorce from him. He'd thought she didn't trust him. He thought they had completely lost whatever relationship they had had left, but when she had told him the reason he knew why. They had had many conversations when they were dating about the future and families. He wanted a large family. He'd grown up in one, and he wanted his kids to grow up in one. He hoped she had neglected to tell him because there was still something between them that she didn't want to destroy by saying she couldn't give him his dream family.

But what she didn't know was that as long as that family was with her he didn't care what it consisted of. Hell, if she would ever marry him he would be satisfied with just the two of them. If she would ever marry him. Which had been their problem the first time around. He still didn't really understand why. They know each other inside and out, they had all the chemistry any one would ever need, and they had already survived a two year relationship. They would have made it. He knew it.

And so much had happened since the two of them had been a couple that if they ever wanted it to happen again, it was going to take a while. Which Nick found to be a rather annoying thought.


	7. Take Out

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter Six: Take Out

by angellwings

It had almost been a week since she'd been in Texas. The day after the barbecue Nick, Warrick, and herself caravaned back together and, despite her protests, the guys helped her set up and move in. Warrick had gone back to work the next day, but Nick was off for the entire following week. He'd spent most of his at her place while the contractors repaired his attic and ceiling. Their relationship was back to where it had been in high school.

Best friends with an edge and a wish for something more.

It was Saturday and she started work on the upcoming Monday. Nick was due back to the lab on that day as well, and his house would be good as new by Tuesday. She had ordered dinner in while Nick went out to rent the DVDs. He'd picked out where they ordered from and she had picked out the movie. Which meant Chinese food and, her guilty pleasure, "I Know What You Did Last Summer". There was a knock at the door and she went to answer it. She assumed it was the Chinese delivery guy. Security had called and asked if they should send him up about ten minutes ago. She opened the door and was pleasantly greeted by Nick Stokes holding a brown paper bag covered in sporadic grease stains, and a white plastic bag holding two, thin, rectangular cases.

Melissa quickly grabbed the Chinese food out of his hands, and headed to her tiny half-kitchen.

"I ran into the guy downstairs and just went a head and paid for it." He told her as he set the plastic bag down on her glass coffee table, and walked over to the corner of the room where Melissa kept the TV trays.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked as she set it down on the counter, and separated her sweet and sour chicken from Nick's Chicken and stir fried vegetables. Both came with Fried rice and egg rolls, but Nick never ate his fried rice and she despised egg rolls. So they would trade, and she would save his fried rice for later.

"Don't worry about it." He said as he set up the trays, and made his way to the kitchen.

"Nick," She said in a reprimanding tone, "How much?"

"It's fine, Red, don't worry." He said with a light laugh.

"You can't pay for both the food and the movies. I won't allow it." She said as she handed him his take out container and the egg rolls, "By the way, you are still willing to give me your baby corn right?"

He grinned and nodded, "I'm not a big fan, so yeah. Besides it's a tradition, remember?"

"Good, the Chinese place in Maine never had baby corn. I feel like it's been forever since I had quality, Chinese take out." She said as she picked up her chicken and container of sweet and sour sauce and headed to the TV trays, "Theres beer in the fridge if you want one."

"Is that a hint for me to get you one while I'm over here?" He asked.

"Well, you _do_ have one more free hand than I do." She said with a wink.

She set her food down on the tray and popped in the DVD. She went back to the counter just as Nick was setting down his food and the beers.

"If you had to go _back_ to the kitchen why did I grab you a beer? You could have done that yourself." He whined half heartedly.

"I like taking advantage of your chivalrous side, okay? So sue me." She said with amusement as she grabbed one of the fried rice containers and headed back to the couch.

"I just might, but only because you're making me watch this cheesy ass movie." He said as he rolled his eyes at her.

"If they're so 'cheesy ass' then why did you rent the sequel, Sparky?" She said as she dangled the second case in front of his face, "Besides this is pay back for not letting me pay for my food."

"In that case, it's perfectly fine with me." He said as he flashed her those gorgeous Stokes dimples.

She glared at him, "You're only paying because you know it annoys me."

He nodded and smiled, "Yep."

"Evil," She muttered as the main titles started.

He nodded again, "Yep."

She shook her head and laughed, "Oh! I got a call from Tabitha today after her shift."

"And?" He asked in anticipation.

"She passed. She is now a CSI level 1." Melissa told him with pride.

"Way to go, Tabs. I'll have to call her before she goes in for her shift tomorrow and congratulate her." Nick said as he got a forkful of vegetables.

"She was stoked." Melissa said with a cliché waggle of her eyebrows.

Oh, yeah, I've _never_ heard _that _before." Nick said sarcastically.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." She said with a chuckle, "Hey, do you mind if I fast forward? I want to get to the good stuff."

Melissa reached for the remote but it was snatched away by Nick, "No way, I paid for these rentals and we're watching the whole ridiculous movie."

"Yeah, but this part is boring. It doesn't get good until they hit the guy." She whined.

"No way. It's all or nothin', Darlin'." He said with his thick, Texan drawl.

"You don't even like this movie so what do you care?" She pouted as she tried to steal it from him.

He raised his eyebrows and held it high above his head, "Go ahead, Munchkin, get it if you can."

"I will win, I will." She said with a determined glare.

"Not this time, Little Red." He said stubbornly.

She stopped struggling to get past him and to the remote, and gave him the saddest, most pathetic puppy dog face she could muster, "Please?"

He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and looked away, "I hate it when you do that."

"No you don't. You love it. Admit it. You secretly think it's extremely adorable." She said as he forked over the remote, "That's why it works every time."

"I hate you," Nick mumbled with a mock glare.

"Nuh uh, to quote the amazing Sandra Bullock, 'You think I'm gorgeous. you want to kiss me, hug me, and mar-"

Her song was cut short by a fork full of baby corn from Nick's vegetables. When she gave him a shocked look his only reply was, "You said you wanted my baby corn."

She began to chew and shrugged her shoulders. Little did she know how true that song actually was.

The phone rang, and Nick instinctively got up and answered the kitchen phone.

"Yello?" He asked quickly.

"Hey Dimples, is the Mrs. Home?" A playful female voice asked.

He laughed, "Hello to you to Angela."

Melissa perked up and craned her neck to see Nick in the kitchen, "That calls for me Nicky, don't you dare make her hang up."

"Can you hand the phone to Mel, please?" Angela asked patiently.

"I don't know, see, we're kind of having dinner at the moment." He teased.

"Okay, Mr. Confederacy, I will leave the two of you to you're oh so romantic evening as soon as you hand Melissa the phone." Angela said sarcastically.

Melissa stood up from the couch and moved to stand behind Nick as he held the handset. She glared at the back of his head, "Stokes, give me the damned phone."

He turned to face her and grinned, "You know on second thought, Angie, I think she went out. Yeah, yeah, we ran out of ice."

"The refrigerator has an ice maker, dumb ass." Melissa said with a grin and a roll of her eyes.

"She can't be out, I just heard her insult you." Angela said quickly as she called his bluff.

"Fine, Ms. Montenegro," He said as he attempted to sound cold, "I here she is."

"Aw, no hard feelings Nicky-boy, you know I still love you." Angela said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah," He muttered dismissively as he tossed Melissa the hand-set. He sat back down as she began to chat away. Angela Montenegro was Melissa's room mate from her study abroad in Paris during the second semester of sophomore year. Angela, from what Melissa had told him, worked at the Medico Lab at the Jeffersonian Institute in DC. She handled facial and historical reconstruction and painted on the side. Melissa said she was trying to commission some of her paintings for the gallery. But did she have to try and arrange it now?

"Ang, I haven't even started my actual job yet, and believe me I have TONS of respect for Dr. Brennan, but there is no possible way that I can fly to DC to help you reconstruct a face and be back by Monday." He heard Melissa argue rationally, "Just e-mail me what you've got so far and I'll tell you what I think."

"I don't work with pencils and sketch pads any more, sweetie." Angela told her with a sigh, "And I doubt your computer can hold all of the data Temperance has given me."

"You don't use a sketch pad? Then how do you do it?" Melissa asked in confusion.

"The Angelator." She said simply.

Melissa grinned, "Nice name, must have taken a while to come up with." She said sarcastically.

"Ha ha, it's a holographic computer. I design the face using Brennan's measurements and then display them in 3-D." She said in a bored tone.

"Okay, you didn't build that." Melissa said in disbelief.

"No, my ex did, but I designed it AND it's patent pending." She said proudly.

"Well, if the data can't come to me, and I can't go to it then I'm afraid I can't help you, Angie." She said as she shook her head.

"Fine I'll let you get away this time, but next time I will not give up this easily." Angela said with a sigh, "I guess I'll let you get back to you're _platonic_ dinner with the incredibly, hot, Texan ex-boyfriend."

Melissa ran her tongue across her front teeth in aggravation, "Give it up, Ang. It more than likely won't happen again."

"You don't know that." Angela said pointedly, "Why else would the boy be over there on a Saturday night? I hate to break it to you, honey, but he's still head over heels for you."

"I'll talk to you _later_, Angie." She said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, okay, I get the picture. Call me tomorrow." Angela said as she hung up.

Melissa shook her head and sighed. She headed back to the couch and sat down beside Nick, "Sorry, she wanted my opinion on a skull she can't quite make sense of."

"Yeah, those skulls they can be a real problem." He said sarcastically just before his own cell phone went off.

She raised an eyebrow in his direction, "You'd better answer that."

"I know," He said begrudgingly as he stood up and walked back to the kitchen.

"Stokes." She heard him say into the phone, "Woah, yeah, boss, I'll be there right away. Nah, I understand. You can't be short handed when you've got that many bodies."

She heard him hang up and walk back over to the couch, "Save my food for me, will you? PD just found five bodies, and Gris needs me to come back a little early."

"Yeah sure, no problem." She said with a smile and twinge of disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Mel, I don't mean to ditch you, but . . ."

"Don't worry, it's fine. Go catch the bad guy." She urged him with a smile as she stood and walked him to the door, "I'll see you later."

"Do you want meet me and the gang in the morning for breakfast?" He asked her as he stood in her doorway.

"Sure, After your shift right?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'll call you when we leave the lab." He said as she watched him walk down the hall, "See you in the morning."

"Yeah, in the morning." She said with a forced smile and a sigh.

This was going to be an interesting adjustment. What with her best friend working through the night and part of the day (if he so chose), and her working from 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. They'd hardly get to see each other, she thought as she closed her door.

* * *

_Just a little filler, fluff chapter to move the time line along and establish what Nick and Mel are like together. What did you think of my slight "Bones" cross over? That's my other favorite crime show. Any way, I think the next chapter is going to be Tabitha centric. BTW there will be time jumps in this story simply because I want to get to other events in other seasons, but I will try to make the jumps very clear so there is no confusion._

_angellwings_


	8. Answers

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter 7: Answers

by angellwings

Tabitha sighed as she continued to high light phone records, and ran a hand through her newly cerulean blue frosted hair. It had been Lisa's idea. A way of "celebrating" her new status as a CSI. She had actually wanted to dye all of her hair blue, but Lisa had reminded her that she would eventually have to testify in court and that with only the tips dyed she could put her hair up in a tight bun and no one would be the wiser. She had neglected to put in her contacts that morning and had worn her slim, plastic, hot pink frames instead. She hated the Houston crime lab. Her shift did not like that she had been allowed to pursue a field career, but her supervisor was great. He had been supervisor of the graveyard shift for almost fifteen years now, and was her mentor. He taught her everything she knew about crime scenes.

She was smart, always had been. She'd made sure of that. She'd always thought Melissa was the pretty, charming one. And the only way to make herself stand out in school had been to excel at academics and everything that her sister hadn't done. She'd joined the softball team, and gotten a full ride to college because of it. She'd been president of the A/V club, and taken Mass Media courses. She had run the teleprompter and the graphics software. In college she had joined an academic sorority as opposed to the social sorority that had housed every woman in her family. She'd also been recruited to join the Phi Beta Kappa organization at her school. She'd graduated at the top of her class, and had been interviewed and offered jobs from every software and technology company in the country. But she had chosen to work in the Houston Crime Lab which paid a considerable amount less than all her other offers. Her recent switch to CSI was also a considerable amount less, but this felt more satisfying and helpful than programming computer games for a living.

College had been a good experience for her. It was where she had really come into her own, and been allowed to be Tabitha and not "Judge Anders' daughter". She had finally gotten to escape her tiny, Texas town.

But there had been one event in college that she had preferred to forget.

She was walking down the stairs from her apartment to her car during her senior year of college, and was suddenly grabbed from behind by a pair of strong arms. She was bound by duct tape and thrown into the back of a utility van. It was hard to recall exactly what happened. She remembered a blur of fists and feet flying toward her with excessive force, and the pain they caused. From then on she faded in and out of consciousness. She couldn't even remember if they had raped her, and if it hadn't been for the kit they had done after they found her she would never have known that they hadn't. She didn't understand why they didn't though, she was completely out of it. Not that she wished they would have, but with in her CSI processing brain it didn't make logical sense. After they beat her senseless she always assumed they thought she was dead because they dumped her in an alley close to the campus. They left her there to die and covered her with garbage bags from the dumpster next her. She didn't know how long she had laid there, the world fading to black every few seconds. She could still remember the smell of the putrid bags and the sticky heat that had covered her. Nick had been working as a CSI at the Dallas Crime lab at the time. It was his last case before he transferred to Vegas. She remembered because he'd been the first CSI on the scene when they had found her. She had seen him watching as they loaded her into the ambulance.

They never found the bastards who did that to her. There was a lack of evidence. The trail went cold, and they were forced to move on.

That's why she wanted to be a CSI. Because people need answers. The answers she had yet to receive. Who and why. And she'd be damned if a case she worked went cold on her.

She finished high lighting the records and handed them in to her supervisor before telling him she was clocking out for the day. He nodded and gave her a small wave as she walked away. She grabbed her stuff from her locker, and headed out the door as her cell phone rang.

"Anders" She answered hesitantly and prayed it wasn't one of her colleagues with a 419.

"Congrats on your first week as a CSI." She heard Nick say.

"It took you a while to get around to calling me, Cowboy." She said with amusement.

"Sorry about that, the lab has been crazy this week. I'm not sure if it's just because I came back or if it's merely coincidence." He said darkly.

"Yeah, Houston's been kind of quiet, and I have a theory that it's all because of me. See, the creeps all heard I was on the job and decided to lay low. They know that if I work their case they'll get caught because I am just THAT good." She said jokingly with a cocky attitude.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that Nancy Drew." He responded with a chuckle, "I got some people here that want to say hi,"

"Oh, yeah, who?" She asked curiously.

"Well, there's your sister, Warrick, and a bunch of people that you don't know." He said with an impossibly audible smile.

"Well, then please return the courtesy." She told him before she heard the phone being shuffled around, "Hello? Nick? Are you there?"

"Greg Sanders, here. You sound hot, I bet you're tall." The guy said unabashed.

"Uh, sorry to disappoint you, whoever you are, but I'm five foot two and half." She answered with a chuckle.

"I bet you're still hot." He repeated as once again the phone was shuffled around.

"I apologize for him. We don't let him out of the lab much." A female voice said as the shuffling stopped, "Sara Sidle, and you are?"

"Tabitha Anders, he's a lab rat, huh? Is he cute?" She asked this woman, Sara, curiously, "Or does he look like that creepy thin guy from the 'Charlie's Angels' movie?"

"He's a little above average, are you interested?" An older sounding female voice answered.

"Um, you're not the person I was talking to a second ago." She said in shock.

"I know, the 'kids' are playing keep a way with Nicky's phone, and I thought I'd lend a hand. I'm Catherine Willows, by the way."

"I'm never going to remember any of these names." She said aloud, but more to herself than anyone else since the familiar noise of shuffling could be heard.

"Hey, Tabby. Long time, no see." Warrick said cheerfully.

"Hey, Rick! Finally, some one I know." She said happily.

"How's Houston?" He asked.

"Boring, but I guess that's a good thing for civilians and possible victims, huh?" She said thoughtfully.

"I wish things would calm down a little here. We've been pulling almost constant double shifts." He complained.

She winced, "Ouch, talk about running on empty."

"You're telling me." He said, "I'm gonna give you a head's up the phone's headed for mine and Nick's supervisor."

"Thanks for the warning." She muttered sarcastically.

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." The gentleman said mysteriously.

"William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act Five, Scene One. Did I pass, professor?" She answered automatically.

"With flying colors." He answered before she could hear the phone being tossed again.

"Hey, sis, how are you holding up? These guys haven't scared you have they?" Melissa asked with a chuckle.

"No, actually, quite the opposite. They sound entertaining." She answered with a smile and a bit of relief. If Mel was on the phone with her that meant that circle was nearly complete. She had to be sitting next to Nick.

"Wow, well you just passed the first test." Melissa told her with a slight tone of shock.

"Did they do that to you?"

"In a more physical manner, yes."

"I don't want to know." She said with a laugh.

"Good because I don't want to tell you." Melissa said definitively.

"Listen, sis, I gotta go. I'll call you later. Tell EVERYONE bye for me?" She asked in amusement.

"Sure thing, Tabs. I'll talk to you later." Melissa said as she hung up.

Nick's friends sounded . . . interesting, to say the least. She wonder if she would ever get to meet any of them other than Warrick. Who knows maybe one day she'd be Transferred to Vegas too. She'd like that. She'd like to be away from Texas for a while. To be away from the past.

And suddenly she had a plan. She'd stick it out in Houston until she became a CSI level two, and then she was putting in for a transfer to Las Vegas. Time to go home and set up a brand new goal calendar for herself. She wouldn't be in Texas much longer if she had anything to say about it.


	9. The Living Past

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter Eight: The Living Past

by angellwings

It was his day off, and she'd come over after work the night before. They'd fallen asleep on the floor in front of his television. She smiled and propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. Did the boy know how sexy he was? Probably not. Her fingers itched to trace his jaw line like they used to, but she couldn't. That was no longer one of her rights. She was no longer his girlfriend, and hadn't been for a long time. It was times like these when she regretted ever refusing his proposals. She had never longed to caress Jeremy's face the way she wanted to touch Nick's. There hadn't been a whole lot of chemistry between her and Jeremy, and now she knew why. It was because Nick still had a tight hold on her heart. Because she had never let go, she couldn't let go. He was a part of her in a way no one else ever could be.

She'd arranged for this to be her day off as well, and though Nick didn't know, it had been intentional scheduling. She needed to spend a day with him. She'd only gotten to see him at breakfast with the rest of the graveyard CSI's for the past couple of weeks. She needed some Mel/Nick private time, and although it wasn't the same kind of private time they used to have in college . . . it would still do nicely.

She smiled when she thought about the good old days when they had truly been Mel and Nick, and despite how hard she tried the memory of when it all came crashing down replayed in her head.

_She blinked her eyes open slowly to find Nick staring at her in thought. She smiled softly at him._

"_Mornin' Sparky." She said as she caressed his cheek. He smiled and caught her hand in his._

"_Mornin', Red. How did you sleep?"_

_She smirked playfully at him, "I was pretty restless for a while, but eventually I settled down."_

_He chuckled deeply and kissed her on the lips, "Glad to hear it."_

_His arms went around her waist, and she snuggled in to his chest. She was more than willing to stay like that for the whole day. But something was bothering her, she had an appointment or something . . . oh no!_

"_Nicky, what time is it?" She asked with wide eyes._

"_Quarter till twelve, why?"_

"_Shit! She's going to kill me." Melissa said as she pulled herself out of Nick's arms, and ran to his chest of drawers. He couldn't help but grin at the site. She had her own drawer of clothes that she ALWAYS kept at his apartment for times just like these. If only he could convince her that times should ALWAYS be like these._

"_Let me guess, your mother?" He asked with twinge of bitterness._

"_I'm supposed to meet her at home for brunch, and I'm already thirty minutes late." She explained frantically as she grabbed some clothes and began to dress herself._

"_You know, I don't think she likes me very much." He said with a sigh as he watched her slip a pair of Levi's on._

"_What are you talking about? She's known you your whole life of course she likes you." She said as she turned to him in her bra and her jeans and placed a quick peck on his lips._

"_As your friend she likes me, but as your boyfriend? Not so much." He told her with a shake of his head. It was scary how perceptive that boy could be sometimes. She buttoned up a pastel colored dress shirt before setting herself back on the bed beside of him._

"_Well, I like you." She told him with a wink._

"_But not enough to marry me, right Mel?" He asked seriously._

_She sighed in exasperation, "How many times are we going to have this conversation?"_

"_As many times as it takes for you to marry me." He said with a look of determination._

"_We're not even in our junior year of college yet, Nicky. We're too young." She told him as she turned away to slip on her white keds._

"_That's your mother talking." He told her with his own sigh of exasperation._

"_She has a point, Nick. You know that." She told him as she stood again._

"_Then what are we doing?" He asked as he sat up and placed his feet on the floor._

"_What are you talking about?" She asked him in confusion._

"_If we're not moving forward then what are we doing?" He asked again, "We're going in circles, Mel."_

"_What's wrong with circles? I like them, they're comfortable." She said softly._

"_But they make you dizzy after a while, Red." He said as his tone matched hers. He slipped on a white t-shirt and sat down beside her._

"_Where is this coming from, Nick? We were fine when I woke up. How did things change that quickly?" She said as she looked him the eye for the first time in five minutes. He grabbed her hand and held it against his chest._

"_I want you, Mel, and I want you for the rest of my life. I want people to know that your mine, and I'm yours. I want that so bad it hurts. I ache every time we're together because you don't seem to share my need for it. I want to move forward in life knowing that you'll always be with me, but you just want to stay right where we are. I want to start a life with you, and if you don't want to start that life then maybe . . . we need to take a step back." He said softly and passionately with his eyes fastened on hers. He only looked away to say the last part. He practically spat the words out. She could tell they pained him to say, and they pained her even more to hear._

"_A S-step back?" She asked in shock, "Like . . . a break?"_

_He nodded as he tried to gather up the strength to answer, "Yeah, like a . . . break."_

_His voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper. She grasped his hand tighter and spoke up tearfully, "But we-we can't. You don't mean that."_

_He brought their hands away from his chest, and stared at their intertwined fingers as they rested on his mattress, "If we can't move forward then the only way to move is backward."_

_She could tell he was hating this as much as she was. She could hear the tears in his voice, "No! I refuse to believe that. I-we need to come back to this later when we're not so emotional."_

"_It's not going to just go away, Mel. I'm not going to just pretend this conversation never happened. We can't go on like this. At this point . . . it's all or nothing." He couldn't look at her. He would give in if he did. He kept a tight grasp on her hand, though, he couldn't force himself to let go just yet, but after that last comment she had yanked her hand out of his._

"_DON'T say that. I'm not ready for what you're ready for yet, Nicky, but I don't want to give up on us either. I love you, and I want to be with you, but I just don't think I'm at a place where I can . . ."_

"_Marry me." He finished for her sadly._

_Her bottom lip trembled at the tone of his voice. He was giving up, "Yes, I'm sorry, Nick, I am. I love you, but-"_

"_But WHAT? That should be it. You love me, I love you. We've been dating for two years now. That should be the end of it." He said as his voice cracked out of heartbreak and frustration._

_She couldn't stand the hurt in his voice, and she couldn't stand that she had done that. She had hurt him this much. Silent tears flowed down her cheeks. Maybe he was right, maybe they needed to take a step back from each other. She had never meant to hurt him like this. Never._

"Mornin', Red." She heard Nick mumble sleepily as he stirred and brought her out of her reverie.

She quickly wiped away a tear that had fallen, and smiled at him. He narrowed his eyes at her thoughtfully.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

"Just thinking, that's all. I don't really want to talk about it." She told him dismissively.

"You sure? You look pretty upset." He told her as he grabbed her hand and ran his thumb across the back of it comfortingly.

She blinked back a few more tears that had been forming and squeezed his hand, "I'm sure."

She pushed herself up off the floor, and stretched. She yawned and ran a hand through her hair. He stayed where he was and watched her. She was beautiful, but he'd always known that. Even when they were kids he'd thought she was gorgeous, of course so did every one else. Once they'd hit the last couple years of middle school she'd had almost every boy in their class after her. Things had changed then. She went on her first date during seventh grade, and he'd been forced to ask his sister to help her pick out an out fit. It was one of the most infuriating moments of his life.

"_Nicky!" She yelled excitedly as she ran to meet him and load into his mother's van._

"_You're late." He said as he let her hop in first._

"_Sorry, Sam said he wanted to talk to me after our last class, and well, you know I couldn't not show." She told him with an excited smile as she tightened one of her red pig tails._

"_So, what did he want?" Nick asked casually._

"_He asked if he could take me to the dance next week." She said as she placed her book bag in front of her and buckled her seat belt._

"_Ooo, Mel's got her first date." His sister said from the front passenger seat as she turned to look at them._

"_I'm so excited, Clare, he is so cute." Melissa told her with animated hand motions._

_Nick rolled his eyes, and kept himself from groaning angrily, and to think Sam had been his friend._

"What do you want for breakfast?" He heard Mel ask from the kitchen.

"I don't know, cereal sounds fine to me." He said as he inhaled deeply and pushed himself off the floor.

"Please, that's not breakfast." She scoffed.

"Oh yeah, and what did you have in mind, Chef Melissa?" He asked sarcastically.

"Oh, I don't know. A couple of those omelets that only the Stokes men know how to make." She said coyly.

"Isn't this my day off? I don't think I should be forced to fix breakfast on my day off." He told her as he suppressed a grin.

"Please? For me? I miss the famous Stokes omelet. I haven't had one since college." She pouted pathetically as she leaned back against the counter.

He sighed melodramatically, "Fine. I'll make the omelets."

"Yay! You're my hero, Nicky." She squealed as she placed a kiss on his cheek.

He shook his head and laughed, "And you take advantage of that as much as you can, don't you?"

"What kind of a woman would I be if I didn't?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow and a wink.

"A respectable one." He said with a playful grin as he pulled out a frying pan and a spatula.

She laughed and smacked him in the back of the head lightly, "You're just oh so funny, Sparky."

"I do try." He said as he went to open the refrigerator.

"So how was work yesterday? You seemed pretty worn out." She asked as she slipped easily out of the playful banter.

"Well, I had to figure out how a woman drowned in the middle of a desert." He said with a slight chuckle as he pulled out all the eggs he would need for two omelets.

Melissa's brow furrowed, "She drowned in the middle of a desert? Body dump?"

"That's what I thought, but it turns out there was no evidence to suggest a dump." He said with a slight grin. It was amusing to hear her hypothesize his cases. He was rubbing off on her, and her liked it.

"Then how? It's a little bizarre." She said as she reached into the refrigerator around him and pulled out a Tupperware container of grapes.

"Have you ever heard of the Mountain Shadow Effect?" He asked as he nudged her away with his shoulder.

"Nope, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me about it." She said with a light laugh as she nudged his shoulder and walked back to her spot around the counter.

"Basically the shadow of the mountain causes barometric pressure to drop and humidity to rise which leads to a flash flood." He said as he pulled out more ingredients.

"Oh right, so it stormed in a hurry and she was bombarded with rain water." She said with an understanding nod, "And then the rain evaporates in the sun."

"Exactly, but the interesting part was her fiancé changed her map, competitive muscle head that he was, and made her think she was walled in. She probably could have found her way out of the canyon in time if he would have left the map alone." He said as he closed the refrigerator and shook his head.

She rolled her eyes at the situation as a whole and popped a grape into her mouth, "People can be so petty some times. It couldn't have been a happy relationship if he was that heavily competitive."

"It was ridiculous, relationships aren't supposed to be like that." Nick said as he started to chop up half of an onion.

She smiled softly at him, "You're such an idealistic romantic, Nicky."

"You're not gonna start picking on me about that too, now, are you?" He asked her with a smile.

"Aw, are the other kids picking on you?" She asked in a baby voice.

"You have no idea. Sara is the worst, though, she's truly not a big romantic. Warrick just thinks it's funny, and Grissom . . . well, I think he thinks I'm a naive little kid because of it. It took him forever to put me on murder cases by myself." He said as he ran a whisk through the raw eggs.

She grinned at him, and squeezed his arm, "I doubt that's because you're a romantic by nature. People tend to have need to look out for you, Sparky, I'd have thought you would have figured that out by now. You're very easy to be protective of, and maybe he felt like he needed to make sure you could really handle it."

"So, he was protecting me? Well, hate to break it to you, Red, but I'm all grown up now. I can protect myself." He said with a sigh and a lot of resentment.

"Hey, calm down," Her eyes widened at the intensity of his tone as she moved around behind him and started to massage his shoulders, "I didn't say you couldn't handle it. I just think that you're so easy to care about that people naturally want to protect you. It's a compliment, Nicky, you've got a lot of people that care about you."

She could feel him relax underneath her fingers and he finally spoke, "I know, but sometimes those people are more of a hindrance than a help."

She removed her hands from his shoulders and leaned against the counter again, "Maybe you need to talk to them about that. Let them know how you feel."

"Yeah maybe." He answered weakly.

She sighed, "You definitely need a movie day."

He raised an eyebrow in her direction and grinned at her in amusement, "And what movie do you suggest?"

"Ghostbusters 1 and 2." She said with a smirk.

He laughed, "Great I get to listen to you quote Bill Murray for the rest of the day."

"You know you love it." She told him with a knowing smile as she closed the container of grapes, and carried them out of the kitchen.

He smiled wistfully at her as he watched her retreating form, "Yeah, maybe a little too much."

* * *

_ta da! An update! I know it's been way too long, but I was stuck! Luckily **somebody101** gave me a little inspiration (Thanks by the way!)._

_Enjoy!_

_angellwings_


	10. Abstract

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter Nine: Abstract

by angellwings

"So what's going on with you and Nick?" Lisa asked over the phone line.

Melissa sighed and untangled herself from the phone cord at the desk in the back office of the gallery, "Nothing Lisa."

"Oh, please girl. You spend every bit of your free time and his together, something has to be happening." Lisa said accusingly.

"I'm just making up for lost time, Lis. That's what's happening."

This was about the millionth time she had answered this question over the past four months. Tabbitha had asked her, Sara had asked her, Angela had asked her, and her assistant, Gilda, had asked her. She was getting sick of this.

"I don't buy it, not one bit. I always thought you were supposed to marry him instead of that jack ass ..." Lisa ranted as Gilda walked through the door of the back room. Gilda gave her an urgent plea of a look and motioned to the front of the gallery.

"Listen, Lis, as much as I want to hear the twenty five reasons I shouldn't have refused Nick's many proposals . . . My assistant is freaking out and I have a feeling I'm needed at the front right away. I'll call you later." Melissa said as she hung out with out waiting for a response and stood up from her chair.

"What's going on Gilda?"

"Apparently, Mr. Winfield bought an abstract from a friend, and it's here." She said with a slight wince.

Melissa grimaced and spoke warily, "How bad is it?"

"Not just bad, it's creepy." Gilda answered as she shook her head.

"Great," Mel said sarcastically, "Let's go have a look at this monstrosity ... I mean masterpiece."

The two women headed to where the painting now hung in the front of the gallery. Melissa's eyes widened at the sight, "What the hell?"

It was a canvas full of what looked like bloody hand prints. They looked feminine in size and shape and had small black numbers written in the palms. The numbers went all the way up to 25. The supposed "paint" looked far too convincing as blood. There was no way you could get paint to look exactly like dried blood.

Gilda gulped from behind her, "I don't like it, it makes me feel . . ."

"Nauseous." Mel finished for her.

"You don't think . . . I mean, that can't be . . . real blood, can it?" She asked nervously.

"I hope not." Melissa said with a touch of fear in her voice.

"What do we do with it?"

"Nothing except hope and pray that some one buys it."

"I don't think I want to meet the collector that buys this." Gilda said with certainty.

"I know what you mean." Melissa said as she tried to tear her horrified gaze away from the canvas.

Suddenly Nick walked through the door, "Hey, Mel, We're all having lunch down the street. I came by to see if- What the hell is that?"

She looked back to see him staring at the painting on the wall in horror.

"That's exactly what I said." Melissa told him with a concerned glance, "Our boss purchased it from one of his rich friends. It's apparently an abstract."

"It's sick." He stated simply.

"Hey, wait, you're a CSI, right?" Gilda asked urgently. When Nick nodded she continued, "So you'd no a way to tell us if this is paint or . . . blood?"

"Yeah, if it was necessary . . ." He said hesitantly.

"Oh, it's necessary. This . . . thing . . . is going to cause me horrible nightmares if we leave this mystery unsolved." Gilda said insistently.

"I'll bring Warrick by after lunch and if he thinks it's suspicious we'll check it out for you, okay?" He asked Gilda gently.

"It's a deal." Gilda said with a sigh as she walked toward the back again.

"Are you coming to lunch?" He asked Mel as he kept one eye on the painting.

"Anything to get away from that." She said as she motioned to the painting.

* * *

"So this 'painting' looks like a bunch of bloody hand prints?" Warrick asked thoughtfully.

"A bunch of bloody _female_ hand prints. It's only been in the Gallery for like fifteen minutes and it creeps me out to no end." Melissa clarified.

"Well, if it bothers you that much, we'll have a look at it." Nick said as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank you." She said as she sighed in relief.

"So, on to less disturbing topics . . ." Sara said with a small grin in Mel's direction, "When's your sister coming for a visit again?"

"It's not exactly a visit, it's work. She's staying with me while she attends a seminar here in Vegas." Melissa said with a bright smile, "I can not wait to see her. She's been crazy busy in Houston."

"Yeah, she said if things keep going like this she'll break her hundredth case in two weeks." Greg said with a nod.

Melissa peered warily up at him, "Since when do you talk to my sister?"

He smiled nervously, "Um, since three months ago?"

"Seriously? How did I not know this?" She said as she glanced at Nick in shock.

He chuckled lightly, "No clue, all of us knew."

"Well, looks like Tabs has some explaining to do." She said haughtily.

"Good, so that takes the heat off of me then?" Greg asked hopefully.

"A little." She said with a glare.

* * *

_I know this is an insanely short update, but I thought I had better post something. Lol._

_Enjoy!_

_angellwings_


	11. Puzzle Pieces

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter Ten: Puzzle Pieces

by angellwings

She had been in a frenzy all afternoon. She'd called Mr. Winfield's office several hundred times it seemed, but she couldn't get a hold of him. She had to keep trying though. This was important.

That painting . . . wasn't paint. Her and Gilda had been justified in their uneasiness. Those hand prints were actual bloody hand prints. Nick and Warrick had taken to the Crime Lab, and last she heard Grissom had added it to their shifts case load. He'd given it to Nick, and Nick was currently trying to identify every bloody hand print through various means.

This was not good. She thought with a gulp. She shivered as she thought about that bloody canvas again. Who would do that? And then to turn around and sell it? She never wanted to meet that psycho. Her cell rang and she immediately answered it. It was Nick.

"Hey, Nicky, what do you need?" She asked automatically.

"We've got a link to Tabitha's case." He said solemnly.

"What?" She asked in shock.

"The ninth hand print belonged to a LVU student who was found beaten to death in a dumpster behind one of the dorms. It's exactly what happened to Tabitha."

"Shit. You're kidding me right?" She asked with a gulp.

"Afraid not. We've been calling other police departments in the south west for any similar cases, and at the moment were up to twelve. Including your sister's. Grissom called the Houston Lab and talked to Tabitha's supervisor. Last I heard your family was headed out here on the very next flight. Expect a phone call shortly." He said with a sigh, "Warrick and I have been put on the case. Gris didn't want to at first, but because of my previous attachment through Dallas P.D. He had to." Nick told her.

"Why didn't he want to?" Mel asked curiously.

"Conflict of interest." Nick stated simply, "Any way, I'll let you go. Your parents are probably trying to get a hold of you as we speak."

"Alright," She said with an exhausted sigh, "Thanks for calling, Nicky."

Not long after she hung up with him her cell phone rang again, and she quickly answered.

"Daddy?" She asked in to the receiver.

"Hey, sweetie, I've got some bad news . . ."

"Nick's already told me about Tabitha's case, Dad. What time do I need me to meet you at the airport? Do you have a hotel already? Is Tabitha okay? What about mom? She's not driving Tabs crazy is she?" She asked quickly.

"Slow down, and breath, Melissa. I can only answer one question at a time." Her father said with a light chuckle, "You can meet us at the airport at about eight, and LVPD booked us a room. Tabitha's a little shaken up at the moment, and your mother is hovering like she always does. There does that answer everything?"

She sighed, "I'm sorry, daddy, I'm just worried and a little disturbed. That painting was sent to MY gallery of all places. It's just a little creepy that's all."

"I know, honey, we'll see you in a few hours okay?" He asked kindly and understandingly.

"Okay, daddy, love you, and be safe."

"Ditto for you, kid." Her father said sincerely before he hung up.

This was not going to be good. She needed a hug or a comforting word. Preferably from Nick. But he was working, and that was impossible. Nick had said something earlier about Sara having the rest of the shift and the next day off. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Sara's number. The two women had actually struck up quite a friendship since her arrival in Las Vegas.

"Hello?" Sara asked into the phone.

"Hey, can I come over? I need a friend." She said pathetically.

"Of course." Sara said instantly.

"Have you heard about . . .?"

"The painting and your sister case? Yeah, I just got off the phone with Greg." Sara said sympathetically.

"Oh, how is he?" She asked in concern.

"Angry, upset, and very determined to help Warrick and Nick with the case." Sara said with a light chuckle, "He seems to like your sister, a lot."

"I'm sure, after all, she understands the plight of the lab rat." Melissa said with a grin.

Sara chuckled, "So, are you coming now?"

"Yeah, I just have to put my assistant in charge until closing, and then I'll be on my way."

"Okay, see you soon." She said as they both hung up.

Melissa sighed and walked out onto the gallery floor. She motioned for Gilda and told her about her situation, "So, I would love it if you could close up tonight, do you mind?"

"No, not at all. Do what ever you need to do, Mel." The brunette college student said understandingly.

"Thanks, Gilda, I'll call you after closing to see how everything went." She said as she headed to the back room to gather her things. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

_Another short update! Enjoy!_

_angellwings_


	12. Warning

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter Eleven: Warning

by angellwings

Nick stared at the canvas in confusion. There were twenty-five hand prints, but only twenty-three cases that matched. The last one happened yesterday in Vegas. Another girl was found in a dumpster behind the Monaco. He was pushing his fear to the back of his mind right now. He couldn't let his attachment to one of the victims get in the way.

Tabitha had been the second victim, and out of the twenty-three cases they had she was one of the two survivors. The first victim had lived to tell about her attack as well. The third died of internal bleeding at the hospital, and the fourth was pronounced dead at the scene. After that every single victim was found dead. And the attackers had escalated. Just like every other serial killer.

They'd started out merely beating them, and by the third victim they were raping the women. Only two victims later they'd started killing. Their victims were in a trail. From Dallas all the way to Vegas there was a path of twenty-three victims. But he couldn't figure out the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth hand prints, until he noticed something. The shade was different on the last two, and the print was too perfect.

Warrick chose that moment to enter the room.

"I don't think these last two are blood, man." Nick told him.

Warrick's brow furrowed, "Paint?"

"The shape of the print is too perfect and the red isn't dark enough to be dried blood. The first few prints are practically brown by now, and even the twenty-third one isn't really red any more. I think these were painted on."

"How many case files do we have again?" Warrick asked.

"Twenty-three." Nick stated as he glanced over at the stack of files.

"Maybe the last two haven't happened yet." Warrick said speculatively.

"Are you saying they're warning us?" He asked.

"Testing us, is more like it." Warrick said as he studied the painting. He picked up a ruler and measured the width of hand print number twenty-four, "Have you talked to Mel lately?"

"Not since last night." Nick said as he flipped through the files, "I figure she's busy enough with her parents and Tabs for the moment."

"I still can't believe that this thing ended up at her gallery." Warrick said as he wrote down the width of the print and went on to measure number twenty-five.

"Neither can I. I'm beginning to wonder if it was done purposely." Nick said aloud thoughtfully.

Warrick nodded and thought about that for a second while he wrote down the measurement and on a hunch decided to go back and measure the first print, "How many survivors are there?"

"Two." Nick answered as he pulled out the first victim's file, "Deanna Jones, and Tabitha Anders."

Warrick stared at the legal pad in front of him in shock, "Damn."

"What?" Nick asked curiously.

"Print number twenty-four matches print number one."

"What?" Nick asked again in shock.

Warrick measured print number two and compared it to print number twenty-five, "So do two and twenty-five."

"Wait a minute...are they trying to throw us off...or finish what they started?" Nick asked himself more than any one else.

"I don't know, but either way we need to talk to Brass and get these two women some protection." Warrick said, "Where does the first victim live now?"

"Here. Brass called the land lord of her old building in Dallas and he said she moved out here about a year ago." Nick said as he tried to comprehend what this meant.

"I'm beginning to think you're right, Nick." Warrick told him.

"About what?"

"I don't think it was a coincidence that this ended up at Mel's gallery."

This case was taking an unexpected turn, and he wasn't liking where it was going.

* * *

She was shaking as she entered the parking garage. She'd just gotten a call from a Detective Brass. He asked her to come down to the station. He needed to talk with her about the attack. She was scared out of her mind. Did they finally find the men who attacked her? Did they attack some one else? She fumbled with her keys as she reached her car door. Her hands were shaking too violently and she dropped them.

"Shit." She cursed as she bent down to pick them up. Talking to herself all the while, "Calm down, Deanna, nothing's going to happen. You're going to go down there answer their questions, and leave. That's all."

She took a few cleansing breaths and straightened herself back up. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her head and stop the shaking. There was no need to freak out.

She opened her eyes.

A scream worked it's way to her throat at the reflection she saw in her driver's side window, but it was never allowed to escape. She was grabbed from behind and stabbed through the chest. Her eyes grew cold and rolled back into her head as she slumped against her attacker. The keys were yanked out of the corpse's hands and she was thrown carelessly into the back seat as the attacker got in and started the car.

There was unfinished business to take care of.

* * *

_So I thought I should update. I haven't in a while, but heres something new to wet your pallet until I write another chapter! _

_Enjoy!_

_angellwings_


	13. Calm Before the Storm

You Mentioned Her Name

Chapter Twelve: Calm Before the Storm

by angellwings

"Oh, sweetie, this space is...lovely." Her mother said with a forced smile.

Melissa counted to ten in her head, and took a huge calming breath, "Thank you, Mom. I like it."

"So, how's Nick?" Her father asked as he sat down on her couch.

"He's better. He's finally past most of the stalker drama." She told her father softly as she sat down beside him. Melissa looked up to see her sister sitting in her recliner and staring blankly at the wall, "Tabs, are you okay?"

Tabitha shook herself out of her thoughts, "I'm-I'm fine."

There was a knock at her door and Melissa went to answer it with her mother hot on her trail. Melissa bit back a frustrated groan and answered the door.

A grin spread across her face as Greg stood in the doorway.

"Well, hello Greg-o." Melissa said with a smirk, "And who might you be here to see?"

"You know very well who I'm here to see, and don't say she isn't here because I know she is." He told her with a mock glare.

"I can't fool you, can I Gregory?" She asked him with a smile as she stepped to the side and allowed him entrance to the apartment. He walked in the door and immediately found Tabitha. He wasted no time in approaching her. She saw him several feet before he reached her and once he did she embraced him desperately. Like he was the only thing that would help her. And Melissa knew why she felt that way.

He'd been no where around her when the attack happened all those years ago. He was pure as far as she was concerned. Greg situated the two of them in the recliner so that she somehow ended up on his lap with her head buried in his chest and her arms wrapped tight around his neck. Greg for his part was gripping her just as tightly. As if she might slip away if he didn't. His eyes were closed and his arms were wrapped around her waist. Almost as if he were taking in the full impact of her presence. Melissa could make out a look of relief on his part as well. And she smiled brightly as she realized why that look was there. She was safe, and he could be sure of that because she was sitting there in front of him. He had all the proof of life he needed right there in his arms.

Melissa wanted so badly to paint a picture of them. It was such an honest and beautiful moment. Neither cared who was watching or even what the on-lookers thought of their intimate position. All they cared about was the comfort they needed from each other. The scene was perfect. She almost wanted everything to stop so they could enjoy their peace for a little while longer.

But, of course, her mother couldn't let that happen.

"Who's that young man?" She whispered to Melissa.

"That's a friend of Tab's. His name is Greg, he works at the lab with Nick."

She immediately watched her mother's admiring expression fall into one of disappointment, "He's a CSI?"

"No, he's a lab tech." She said. If it was possible her mother's face fell even more, "Mother..."

"Yes dear?" She asked as she studied the couple on the recliner.

"I will not let you ruin Tabitha's life the way you did mine. Don't you even THINK about talking her out of having anything worthwhile with Greg. At least let HER be happy. She deserves that much." Melissa whispered angrily to her mother. She knew how she worked, and she knew she would start subtly convincing Tabitha that things between her and Greg wouldn't work out. She refused to let her sister make the same mistakes she did. It would not happen and she would be the one to make sure of it.

A hurt expression crossed her mother's face, and for a split second guilt filled her heart. And then Mrs. Anders opened her mouth.

"Ruined your life? But Melissa, sweetie, I was just trying to do what was best for you. Nick's not an appropriate match for you. He's a sweet boy and I'm sure he's a great friend but..."

"But what mother? He doesn't have an appropriate job? Is that it? Well, do you know what I think about that? I think Nick's just fine the way he is, and you know what else I think? I was an idiot to ever let you talk me out of marrying him. I should have done what I wanted to do from the very beginning and ignored everything you ever told me. I should have followed my gut and walked out on Jeremy long before the proposal, but you kept insisting he was so perfect. And I actually believed you." Melissa continued in a hushed hostile whisper, "Well, believe me I won't make that mistake again, and I won't let you talk Tabitha into making that mistake either."

A throat cleared behind them and Melissa turned in horror to see Nick standing there with small secretive grin gracing his handsome features.

"The door was unlocked." He stated simply, "You might want to make sure you keep it locked."

Melissa's eyes were wide as saucer's and she wondered how much of her confrontation with her mother he had heard, "I-I'll do that."

He gave her a hug and a lingering kiss on the cheek before turning to her mother.

"Nice to see you again, Mrs. Anders." He said with a nod and a quick gentle hand shake.

Her father had obviously heard the greetings at the door and stood up from the couch.

"Well, hello there, Nick" Her father came to the door and shook Nick's hand while his other hand patted his shoulder in a fatherly manner, "Thanks for taking care of Melissa for us. As long as you're around I don't worry about her so much."

"It's my pleasure, sir, but I should tell you that she doesn't really get into that much trouble." He told him with a chuckle.

"Where's Warrick?" Melissa asked curiously. Nick turned to her with an almost shocked look on his face.

"I'm not here on business, Little Red, I'm here to see if you and Tabs need anything." He told her sincerely.

She smiled, "Well, I think Tabitha's got all she can handle right now."

Nick looked over her father's shoulder toward the recliner and grinned, "I can see that."

"You know we weren't even properly introduced to the boy, Henry." Her mother said to her father.

"I'm sure we'll meet him later, Julie. Let the kids have their time together. They might not get much of it over the next couple of days." He told her sternly, "Anyway, Melissa, I think your mother and I need to head back to the hotel. Is it okay if Tabitha stays here with you tonight? I think she'll be much more comfortable here than at the hotel."

"Yeah, dad, it's no problem."

"Henry! She can't do that! How will I know if she's safe? We can't leave her here alone." Her mother said in shock.

"She won't be alone, mother, I'll be here." Melissa said in a huff.

"Mrs. Anders the girls will be perfectly safe. There are two officers stationed outside as we speak." Nick told her with a kind smile.

"There, you see, Julie? They've got their own personal security for the night. You can't get much safer than that. They'll be fine."

"Well, alright, but Melissa tell your sister to call us in the morning. I want to make sure she's okay."

Melissa sighed, "I'll have her call you first thing when we wake up."

"Fine, good night sweetie." Her mother said as she kissed her on the cheek.

"Later, darlin'." Her father said as he too kissed her on the cheek and ushered his wife out the door.

Melissa quickly shut and locked the door behind them, "THANK GOD! I swear that woman drives me crazy!"

"I think you handled it well." He told her with a smile, "You singlehandedly stood up for your sister, Greg, Me and yourself. With one speech. I gotta say I'm very proud."

She gulped nervously, "You heard all of that, huh?"

"Every single word, but the part that particular interested me was 'I was an idiot to ever let you talk me out of marrying him'. My question is: was there a point where you were close to saying yes?" He asked her in a calm curious tone.

"The first time you proposed I went to see my parents the next day. I wanted to know what they thought. I was all set to say yes, but I wanted their blessing. I wanted to know they didn't think we were too young. Dad was perfectly alright with it. In fact he was thrilled to pieces, but mom...she made coffee and spent an hour telling me everything that was wrong with us getting married right then. I trusted her opinion...I thought she was only trying to help me...so I followed her advice. Turns out she wasn't trying to help me. She was trying to help herself." Melissa told him softly, "I should have followed my first instinct, and said yes. I won't let her do to Tabs what she did to me. Tabs should follow her own path with Greg not the one mom wants her to take."

"To be fair...I should have stopped you from marrying Jeremy. I should have said something. I've always hated myself for just..._letting_ you get away. Guess we both have something to regret, huh?" He asked her sadly.

"Some regrets can be resolved, you know..." She told him hopefully as she hesitantly grabbed his hand.

"Yes they can." He told her with his gaze fixed on their hands, "But it won't be easy."

"You know what my father used to say? 'Nothing worth having is ever easy'..." She said with a sigh.

"Your father's a smart man."

"We can do this right this time, Nicky. I know we can." She told him with determination.

"We _will _do this right this time, I promise." He said as he squeezed her hand gently.

* * *

_Just a short little update. Nothing much, but I like it. More action to come later!_

_angellwings _


	14. Expect the Unexpected

You Mentioned Her Name

By angellwings

Chapter Thirteen: Expect the Unexpected

"So, Missa, you and Nick seemed cozy," Tabitha said with a grin. She'd been feeling much better since Greg had come to visit. He and Nick had been called back to the lab, and so now it was just her, Melissa, and the two cops outside.

Melissa blushed, "Well…we were."

Tabitha peered at her skeptically, "Cozy as in….back together cozy?"

"I don't know yet, Tabs."

"Then what kind of cozy was it?"

"The 'let's take this slow and see how it goes' type of cozy," Mel told her with a sigh.

"Take it slow? Really? I mean, personally, I think it's high time you guys cranked it up to high gear."

"TABS!" Mel yelled as she held back a laugh.

"What? It's true. I mean the only reason you aren't married to him now is because mom talked you out of it right?" She asked her sister.

Melissa nodded ruefully.

"And you still love him right?"

Melissa blushed again and looked away from her sister.

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?"

The older Anders girl sighed, "I hurt him, Tabitha."

"And he hurt you," She argued in response.

She looked at her sister in confusion.

"He did. He's the one who ended it," Tabitha said as she got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen for a soda.

"Only because he thought we were running in circles," She said in Nick's defense. Tabitha sighed from the open refrigerator before grabbing a Diet Coke and walking back to the couch to sit next to her sister.

"The reason doesn't matter, Missa. He still hurt you just like you hurt him. You're both guilty when it comes to fault. He could have stuck around and fought against all the propaganda mom was throwing at you, but he didn't. He gave up. You could've ignored all the crap mom told you and fought her for him, but you didn't. You both ran, and managed to run over each other in the process. I think it's high time that you both forgive each other and go back to the way things were. If you ask me you both know what mistakes you made, and you know what you would do differently so don't waste this chance. Just stop thinking and go for it," Tabitha told her older sister gently.

"It's not that simple, Tabs, besides I think you have your own situation on the horizon when it comes to mom," Melissa told Tabitha in warning.

"What do you mean?"

"Greg. Mom didn't seem too thrilled about you dating him, and I have a feeling she's going to try to manipulate you like she did me."

Tabitha scoffed, "Just let her try. I don't care what she says. I actually really care about Greg, and I'm not giving him up any time soon."

Melissa's eyes widened at the sound of her sister's tone. Her sister had never sounded that certain or determined. Melissa found herself feeling slightly jealous. If she would have had that attitude in college things would be totally different for her right now.

"I wish I had been more like you back then," Melissa said with an impressed smile.

"I wish I was more like you now," Tabitha told her in return, "You don't even realize how strong you are, Missa."

Melissa chuckled, "Not as strong as you, little sister."

* * *

Nick's cell phone rang just as he reached the lab's parking lot.

"Stokes," He answered automatically.

"They found Deanna Jones," Warrick told him in a grim tone.

"I'm guessing I'm not gonna like this. Am I, Rick?"

"Melissa's assistant found her in the alley behind the gallery…dead"

Nick sighed and massaged his temples as he immediately began to turn around and exit the lot, "I'm on my way right now, man."

"Our killer's are sending Tabitha a message, man."

"I know, and I do not like the message. It means they're willing to use Mel against her," He said with a tinge of worry to his voice.

"And they're becoming bolder by the minute," Warrick answered as his eyes scanned over the alley, and Melissa's pale faced assistant.

* * *

_That's all for this update, guys! Sorry it's been so long!_

_I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_angellwings_


	15. Switcheroo

Chapter Fourteen: Switcheroo

"Mr. Winfield is closing the gallery for the next week," Melissa told Nick when he showed up at her apartment the next morning.

He nodded, "Grissom said the case has just been brought to the FBI's attention. With Deanna Jones's murder they are going to take over."

"So you're off the case?" She asked in concern.

He nodded, "Yes, but it's okay. I can be here for you and Tabitha now."

There was a knock on the door, and Melissa excused herself to answer it.

"So you're telling me that this case is now a federal investigation?" Tabitha asked him from her seat at the kitchen table.

He nodded, "You'll be in good hands, Tabby. They'll make sure you're protected."

"So when will the agents be here?" She asked with a sigh.

"Any time now, I'm guessing." He informed her.

"Good guess," Melissa said as she led to FBI agents into the kitchen, "Tabitha, Nick these are the two FBI agents responsible for the case. Agent First and Agent Booth."

"Nice to meet you Ms. Anders," Agent Booth said as he shook her hand, "I'm the secondary investigator on the case."

Agent First nodded and shook her hand coldly, and then turned to Nick.

"Were you one of the Forensic investigators?" He asked curtly. Nick's jaw clenched to keep from making a sarcastic comment and he slowly nodded.

"Yes, I was. I'm Nick Stokes."

Agent Booth rolled his eyes at the other man's tone, "We were wondering if you and the other investigator would be willing to brief us on your findings?"

Nick gave the man half of a sympathetic smile,"Sure. I was actually on my way to the lab right now if you'd like to follow me."

"Of course, but we need to speak with the two of you first," Agent First announced as he motioned toward Melissa and Tabitha, "We will meet you outside Mr. Stokes."

Nick didn't like this Agent First. He seemed too sure of himself. He glared at the back of the man's head as he headed for the door. He stopped when he was out of the man's eyesight to listen.

"We would like the two of you to accompany Agent Booth back to DC," He told them.

"I'm sorry?" Tabitha asked in confusion, "Aren't you trying to catch these guys? Won't me leaving send them into hiding?"

"Just for a few days until things are running smoothly again. It will be easier to protect you when we're closer to the Bureau." Agent Booth told the women with a small understanding smile, "You'll be back here in Vegas before you know it."

"Do you have someone you can stay with in the DC area?" Agent First asked in a bored tone.

"Yes, I have a friend there that we could stay with." Melissa told them.

"Name?" Booth asked gently.

"Angela Montenegro, she works at the Jeffersonian Institution."

"We'll let you call her and set up the details. You might be more comfortable with a friend than at a hotel," Agent Booth said as he jotted the name down on a small notepad.

"I'm going with them," Nick announced from his position behind the agents, "I may not be on the case, but I want to stick with them."

"I'm afraid we can't-"

"Of course, Mr. Stokes, that's not a problem," Booth said as he glared at the older man standing next to him.

Agent First sighed and shook his head, "This is NOT protocol."

Booth rolled his eyes, "Screw protocol."

Tabitha grinned at her sister in amusement, "I like you, Agent Booth."

Melissa sighed and spoke up, "I still don't understand what Tabitha leaving Vegas is going to do."

"We're replacing your sister with a decoy. Two of our agents will be undercover as you and your sister," Agents First said in an irritating tone.

"You've hired doubles for us?" Melissa asked. "You don't think these guys will see right through that? And how are you going to get us out of here without them noticing? You have to know that whoever is after Tabby is watching us."

"Ms. Anders we understand your concerns, but if you just trust us everything will turn out fine," Booth told her sympathetically.

She nodded, "So how is this gonna work?"

"Our agents will come in here, and disguise themselves as you and then in turn you will disguise yourselves as them," Agent First said.

"A switcheroo? Really?" Tabitha asked with a shake of her head.

Booth chuckled, "Just trust us to do our job, Ms. Anders."

"Whatever you say, Agent Booth," Tabitha answered.

* * *

The next morning the switch was made. Agent Booth, Agent First, the doubles, and Nick came together. The doubles were dressed as agents. Both agents had the same hair color as Melissa and Tabitha and were around the same size. Tabitha and Melissa switched clothing with the doubles and then left the building with Agent First, Agent Booth, and Nick. Once they were safely inside the Black SUV they were being driven to the airport in Melissa voiced more concerns.

"Someone is going to notice that those agents don't look like us," Melissa said nervously as she, Tabitha, and Nick were escorted to the airport. "Or someone will see us when we get out of this van."

"Melissa, calm down," Nick said soothingly. "Agent Booth will be going with us. The FBI won't let anything happen to you guys."

"Really? Because from my experience with the FBI…they haven't been that reliable," Tabitha said doubtfully.

"Not helping, Tabs," Nick muttered through clenched teeth.

"I'm just being pessimistic. I think the situation calls for it," Tabitha commented dryly.

"What about my job? Sooner or later I will be expected to be back at work," Melissa asked Agent Booth worriedly.

"We'll take care of it," Booth told her kindly. "You don't have to worry about anything."

Tabitha scoffed, "Right."

"Ms. Anders," Agent First said sternly. "You're going to have to trust-"

As the van reached an intersection another car came smashing into it. The car crashed into the direct middle of the van, and the impact had left every one inside unconscious. The van door was forced open sharply. A man in a black hooded sweatshirt reached forward to undo Tabitha's seatbelt, but it wouldn't budge. The seatbelt was stuck, and the man quickly pulled out his knife and sliced the seatbelt. The man slung Tabitha over his shoulder and walked away from the van.

* * *


End file.
